Smart Coach for Diabetes

What more can I do to control diabetes naturally? – Albert’s story

At 62, with 22 years of living diabetes, Albert consistently tries to better understand his health. Albert does shift work at the airport, tackles hypos that occur every now and then, enjoys his food, and ensures his exercises weekly.

Albert was not always this disciplined. In fact, he used to indulge in buffets on cruises and attempted unique recommendations to deal with diabetes such as having bittergourd juice, and or soaking lady’s finger (ocra) in water overnight and drinking it first thing in the morning.

Even with years of living with diabetes, he still had many questions unanswered. “I’ve always been curious – when do I reward myself with certain foods I like? I believe that food intake is different for different people because of lifestyle. Carbs intake depends on exercise as well but if I exercise, how much should I eat?”

“You know, there’s so much information on the internet – how do I know which one is right for me? I feel like a lost sheep.”

These questions led him to take a chance with GlycoLeap when the full beta trial program was ready in June 2016. A platform that allows him to ask all these questions through an app and have them answered by real-life healthcare professionals.

When asked about his deepest concerns about diabetes, he said, “It can be disheartening sometimes, when my doctor said that even with management and better control, he still can’t ‘reduce medication’.”

But he did not take this as a reason to stop trying to understand this condition.

“I still hope to improve my blood glucose levels and stay away from medications if possible.”

3 months into GlycoLeap, and with much willingness to take action, he managed to get his HbA1c down from 8.7 to 6.6.

However, with the medications unchanged and a significant change in lifestyle, he started to experience more hypos in the middle of the night.

“I’ll wake up shaking and I know I’m having a hypo.”

After much encouragement from our dietitians, he decided to book an appointment with his doctor to ask for a review of his medications. During the review, 2 months after his previous appointment, his HbA1c results showed a further reduction to 6.0.

“The doctor was all praise for me for taking up the program with GlycoLeap and have even reduced my medication.”

His doctor took Sitagliptin off from his medications, and asked him to come back for an appointment 2 weeks later to see how he’s coping with less medications.

At the latest appointment in November, he shared with us that his doctor further reduced the dosage of Gliclazide from 160mg to 40mg twice a day, and he lost a total of 8kg since June.

Albert’s currently in the maintenance phase of GlycoLeap. He says, “I’m working to maintain the state that I’m in with my dietitians as my advisors”.

“Always remember that it takes two hands to clap in order to achieve your desired result. I deserve a nice pat on my back!”

We’ve learnt a lot from Albert, and his story inspires us to do what we do here at GlycoLeap.

If you face similar concerns about your health or have similar goals, you can take action this year. You can try for free – simply download Glyco app.

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Elizabeth Chew

Liz is a psychologist with a passion for humanising healthcare. Her focus is on the problems and psychological barriers people face when diagnosed with a chronic disease. Prior to Holmusk, she volunteered as a Mind Stimulation Practitioner at NKF and helped out at MINDS. She also enjoys painting, flower arranging, snorkelling and a good cup of coffee.
View all posts by Elizabeth Chew